YoLadies | Tech

Educating girls and women in science and tech - who is doing it?

2011-03-08T06:07:45Z

The 2011 theme for International Women's Day is "Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women." As a lot of us bemoan the dearth of women in the science and tech fields, and the pressure on girls to go with the softer subjects in school, there are several great programs out there doing their best to change that. Check out this list of organizations working to raise the number of girls and women in the science and tech fields:

Expanding Your Horizons Network: This group organizes conferences and mentor programs for girls interested in science and math. There are games available on their website, and great resources and inspiration.

Ignite: a group of volunteer women in the science and technology fields who speak to mainly high school girls about their work experiences. They state on their site that many of these girls "use familiar technology everyday (cell phones, video games, the Internet), but most have never considered careers that envision, develop, market, sell, apply, or rely on these and other technologies." Ignite hopes to change that and to lead more girls into STEM related fields.

AWIS (Association for Women in Science: This organization has fought for forty years for equal pay and opportunity for women working in the scientific field. They offer mentoring, networking and career management for women, and serve as an inspiration for girls who want to work in the field.

Braincake: GREAT website for girls aged 11-17 designed to encourage them to study science, math, and technology. They work with parents and educators, and offer information on working in green technology, homework help, inspirational women, and more.

MentorNet: a program set up to provide mentors to students of science and technology to promote diversity in the scientific field.

This is just a small list of organizations aiming to make a difference for women in science and technology. Are there any that should be on this list?

Twittering - is there a right way to do it?

2011-02-19T00:06:43Z

With all the articles doling out advice on the best way to tweet, and the self-proclaimed experts claiming that they can tell you how to get the most followers and help you make money just by tweeting, how do you know what to do? Should you tweet a lot or a little? How does it work, anyway?

I've only been using Twitter in earnest for a year. At first, I couldn't understand how to use it as a boring individual, but I dove in when we launched YoLadies, last March. While it was confusing and overwhelming compared to Facebook, I feel like I finally got the hang of it.

Here's what I've found:

1. Don't tweet for money. Paid tweets are annoying. I've never tried to get paid for tweeting, but the profiles of those who have tried are nothing but freaking classifieds. Who wants to follow that? If anything, trying that will get you blocked.

2. Do tweet the things you care about. That's where you're star will shine - when what you tweet is what's in your heart. Whether it's your business or a hobby or a general interest, it's obvious when tweets are only created out of want for self-promotion.

3. Do promote others. Of course we're all on Twitter for some kind of self promotion. It's when that's all you do that it becomes completely unacceptable. Re-tweet those you appreciate - help someone else have their voice heard.

4. Don't send spam DMs. It's nice to get a "thanks for following" message, I guess, but most are followed by "oh yeah and buy this from us!" Lame. Just don't do it.

5. PLEASE don't complain about those YOU follow! I mean, c'mon. Check someone's profile before you click the follow button. If it looks like spam, don't freaking follow and then tweet about how you hate how your followers spam. You're the master of your Twitter feed, and you don't have to follow everyone who follows you.

6. Tweet when it feels right. It seems that there is a fine line between tweeting too much and too little. If you only tweet once a day, you'll never be seen. If you tweet too much, you become an annoying feed weed. So try, but not too hard.

7. Use lists. The list feature is the best way to group those you follow, so if you're looking for the latest on a specific topic, you don't have to scroll through your entire feed.

I'll never claim to be an expert on Twitter, but I think that the items on the list above are probably good places to start. Be yourself, don't be a spammer or a sad-sack, and if what you're doing isn't working for what you want to accomplish, try something different.

Happy tweeting!

You don't have to use GoDaddy

2011-02-07T00:55:38Z

There is one thing you gotta give GoDaddy credit for: they've managed to make their name synonymous with getting a domain name. They're the first company most people think of when they decide to get a website. What anyone who actually cares about women needs to know though is this: you don't have to use this misogynist, woman hating company to get a website.

There is a huge number of reputable and professional web hosts that are good options. They will not only provide server space, but will take care of your domain name. Here is a small list of providers who don't air pornographic, girls-gone-wild-esque ads aimed at demeaning women. Please add any others you've had good experience with in the comments:

LivingDot - This is the provider that we use at YoLadies. I've worked with them for five years on various projects, and recommend them wholeheartedly.

Network Solutions - I have worked on websites hosted by this company, and they are completely professional.

Hostgator - I've heard good things about this hosting company, although I've never worked with them directly.

The best advice, whether you're just looking to start up a site or to transfer your site from GoDaddy to a more reputable and professional one, is to ask someone else for a recommendation. One thing I can say is that you get what you pay for - a ridiculously low price sometimes means crappy servers and no customer service (aka VistaPages - don't use them). You don't have to spend a fortune though, so just do a little research and again, ask around.

So if you don't use GoDaddy, who do you use? Who would you recommend to the women out there who got into the GoDaddy trap before they realized what kind of hateful jackasses they were doing business with?

Anti-tracking measures coming to Mozilla and Google

2011-01-26T02:19:53Z

Do you feel violated by online advertisers who install tracking cookies in your browser to know better what to pitch to you? Mozilla and Google are taking a step to help you feel safer and more private by adding opt-out features to their browsers. Both are in the beginning phases - especially that of Mozilla, which relies on an http header that advertising companies would have to agree to use to offer users an opt-out choice.

Google's version works as an extention called Keep My Opt-Outs. Companies that sign up with AboutAds, a self-regulatory program for the online advertising industry, agree to not track Chrome users who have KMOO installed.

It's great that the companies we rely on are starting to move forward in producing products that will help us feel more secure online. Having ads geared toward you based on your browsing history is creepy, and it's about time that we have some say in whether we want to let agencies stalk us or not. I wonder how many advertising agencies will be willing to voluntarily offer that option to internet citizens, though, as many of us would immediately opt out of allowing them to follow us into our online worlds.

What do you think about these steps that Mozilla and Google are taking to help you control your privacy online? Do you think that tougher, enforced rules for advertisers will need to be put into place for the system to work?

Jumo: social media for do-gooders

2010-12-01T06:23:33Z

Surprise - there is another social media site on the block! This one is called Jumo, and it was founded by Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes. It's very similar to Facebook in its layout and functionality, and you even sign up using Facebook connect. The difference between Facebook and Jumo is that Jumo is focused on connecting people with aid organizations in areas like women's rights, at risk youth, wildlife preservation, and arts.

The new platform aims to help those of us who care about social and environmental concerns find organizations that provide assistance, and to help those organizations find help either financially or through volunteerism and promotion. The organization pages are set up similar to fan pages on Facebook, and are great repositories of information and links that tend to get lost on other social media platforms. It has a clean and user-friendly design, a studious vibe, and a great mission. We love this idea and can't wait to see what kind of response it gets.

If you have a passion for social change, check out Jumo and see what you think. It's hard to stop digging through the topics and checking it out - we predict a win on this one.

Path - the exclusive club version of Facebook

2010-11-15T08:53:24Z

Sound swank? Could be, I guess. The premise of new social network, Path, isn't that kind of exclusivity though.

Path, available for iPhone and iPod Touch, limits you to a maximum of fifty connections. The theory is that if you are limited to a small number of connections, you will naturally choose only your closest friends and family members, and will therefore be able to say whatever you want without fear. It is founded by former employees of Facebook, Macster and Napster, and intends to be the network where you really keep in touch with those you care about most. You can share photos, tag your friends, and share with those who you know won't mass-mail that shot of you from your junior year in high school - you know, the one where you have one eye closed and your tongue hanging out. Not that anyone affiliated with YoLadies could relate to that.

It will be interesting to see how Path takes off - the concept is great. Have any of you jumped on this new network yet?

Is Microsoft going the way of IBM?

2010-10-27T14:01:30Z

CNN Money writes that Microsoft is a dying consumer brand. Microsoft, once the leader in all things home computer based, is now not only the dorky guy trying to compete with a young hipster, but is also that asshole programmer at work who justifies his user-unfriendly products by talking about how much smarter he is than everyone else. He doesn't seem to care that his skills are being made irrelevant by his arrogance and lack of imagination.

I'm a PC. I like it better than Mac. However, I am inclined to agree that unless Microsoft hires some fresh developers and management who will let those developers use their creativity, it will end up being more of a provider of enterprise software/hardware and less of a consumer brand. They allowed themselves to become complacent during their years of having a near monopoly on the home computer market, and now they are playing a game of catch-up. They are going to have to lose some of the fat-cat poundage before they can really catch up with the innovation that other companies are putting out, though, and apply some of the imagination that has created some of their gaming platforms to other product areas.

I'd like to see Microsoft bounce back - let's hope, for the sake of those of us who aren't Mac fans, that they do.

Our electronics have blood on them

2010-10-01T15:50:28Z

Although "blood diamonds" have been well known for a while, "blood electronics" is a term that many of us are just hearing about. After reading Ashley Judd's piece on CNN about how some of the minerals used in the electronics we use every day, I did a little research into the issue, the new provision in the financial reform law requiring electronics companies to disclose the origins of the minerals, and what we as consumers can do on our end.

Most of the four minerals in question, tantalum, tungsten, tin, and gold, are supplied from mines in The Congo. Criminal rebel gangs finance their civil war through illegal mining activities, and the unthinkable mass rapes of women and children in that country are a direct result of this illegal mining. Legitimate miners are being threatened physically and/or killed and they are losing jobs and money to the illegal miners.

A new law will require electronics companies to provide information about where their supplies of conflict minerals come from. But, determining whether the materials come from legitimate or illegitimate mines is not an easy task. Methods of better tracing the supplies are being formulated, along with the final provisions of the law, which should be finalized by April of next year.

Unless we cloister ourselves, there isn't a question that we need our cellphones and other electronics. No one wants to support thieves, rapists, and murderers. So, what can we do as consumers? One thing we can do is hold onto the phones we currently have as long as possible.

An even better thing we can do is to let the major electronics manufacturers know that the situation is one we don't want to be part of, and that it is up to them to make the difference.

Raise Hope for The Congo, an organization involved with education on this issue, has a simple sign-on form that allows you to send a message to these companies, saying that if they vow to use only conflict free minerals in their products, you will buy it.

Unfortunately that's pretty much all we consumers can do right now. The decision is in the manufacturers and suppliers hands. Keeping the pressure on the issue - on the manufacturers and suppliers and on the government - to form a better way to identify the origin of these minerals. This is what consumers need to do to help put a dent in our inadvertent impact on women and children in The Congo.

So, take a quick minute to make your voice heard - it's the only thing we can do, as enslaved consumers, and it's easy so why not? Just do it.

Twitter's Evolution

2010-09-15T05:56:05Z

In case you haven't heard, you'll have a new Twitter to work and play with, soon. Twitter announced at a launch event that they will be making a couple of major changes to the service, which will make it easier to share photos and videos. Once the changes are rolled out, you will be able to actually embed images rather than just link to them, and you'll be able to embed videos as well. The layout will change, too, with "Related Content" offered when you click on a tweet. This feature will display tweets with similar content, retweets and tweets from the same author.

Twitter will begin the rollouts as previews, giving you the ability to switch back and forth to get used to the new interface.

What do you all think about the new Twitter changes coming up?

I am Adding The Netbook to the Mobile Development Conversation

2010-08-26T21:44:39Z

I'm a dork and still don't have an iPhone. I don't know what the experience is like with pop-ups there, and don't surf a lot with my Lotus Elite, which is obviously quite different from the iPhone. But, I do use my blessed Asus Eee Notebook all the time. In fact, I'm on it now.

As a web designer (and a woman who likes having a solid note book (or netbook) on which to write), it is my goal to make the sites I accessible in all browsers and platforms (except ie6). It is one of the most important aspects of making your website available to all. I've noticed that a lot of times, on my netbook with a resolution of 1024x600, the pop-ups are geared to people with higher resolutions.

The problem with that is that many of the pop-ups are not re-sizable, and so it is impossible to close them and enjoy the rest of the site. I have to close the tab and not visit the site at all, hoping to remember that it might have some great content when I'm on my PC. Basically, it freezes my browser.

Most of the time, the problem arises with supa-cool js and/or ajax pop-ups.

So, I'm adding the netbook to the mobile conversation, just as I'm now re-developing our site to look presentable and workable on non-iPhone mobile browsers. The netbook, afterall, is mobile. Maybe you just never thought about it, but please do. It sucks to lose control because of a pop-up.

Do it yourself web design: why it is bad for business

2010-08-16T16:16:04Z

You've seen the commercials showing smart, attractive people who want to start their own business, but can't seem to figure out how to create a website overnight. Seems that all they need to do is use a service that will provide them with hosting and a professional looking website all for one low price, allowing their brilliant ideas to blossom online and take them from rags to riches in no time.

So what's the problem with that? Why shouldn't you wait for the riches to start rolling in before investing in a professionally designed custom website? Here are three of the most important reasons to give up the cheap/free WYSIWYG site and invest in a quality, custom website.

1: Do it yourself websites are unprofessional - very few of the templates offered by DIY services look professional. Although some are designed well, most are designed by students trying to build up their portfolio, while making the web a prettier place by showing off their skillz. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as it's a personal blog or something, but - if you really want to have a professional site that screams, "I believe in this business and want it to be a great experience for my customers/readers!" - you want to hire someone who knows about user experience design. Otherwise, you'll just be screaming, "This is my hobby that I wouldn't mind making a few bucks at!"

2: They make you look like everyone else - if several thousand other people have the same template for their business as you do for yours, how will the public distinguish your brand from theirs? Think of it as you think of your favorite "special" stores - the markets and boutiques that have the look and feel that sets them apart from Macy's or Target, which are pretty much the same no matter where you go. Do you want to look like a big box, cookie cutter store or do you want people to remember how different and special you are? Granted, you don't want to go too different unless you are an artist of some sort, but you do want to distinguish yourselves from what anyone can get anywhere.

3: They are difficult to grow - As your business grows and your riches come in, you need your site to be able to evolve accordingly. Having a professional design and development team behind your site will help you add and modify your site as needed, and will be able to make suggestions about stuff you never would have thought of. Can you add video or audio? What about widgets...can you customize them without emailing help desk a thousand times to be able to understand the job at hand? Are you minding your SEO and traffic stats and if so, how do you find the time for website upgrades along with the marketing and strategy?

There is a reason that successful entrepreneurs don't build their own site: they recognize that a great user experience is imperative to a successful online presence. They know that just like a pair of free shoes will probably wear out quickly, a free website was out of style and full of holes before they even adopted it. Plus, look at all the other important stuff they have to worry about - content, marketing, partnerships - when would they have time to be an expert in web user experience, coding, and design?

So unless you're happy with your McMansion filled with things you could have purchased anywhere in the world, you should set your business website apart from the rest. Even if you are selling vintage clothing or $5 jewelry, it's no excuse to not take your business seriously. After all, many people become financially successful because they sell inexpensive yet unique items.

So take the website part of your business just as seriously as you do the physical side. Just as you clear the aisles and face the product names in the physical store to provide a pleasing experience for the customer, you should make your online "store" as easy to navigate and to find things. You don't have to spend a fortune doing it, but you get what you pay for. Take yourself and your business seriously.

I did it - I gave up my Facebook Account

2010-08-07T14:37:16Z

It started out great - connecting to old friends that I wondered about for years and being happy that they were alive and well, being in on the inside joke at work because I was Facebook friends with people there, finding out whether I was Ginger or Mary Ann. In the beginning, I loved Facebook. It was fun.

Somewhere along the line though, it just got creepy. I got friend requests from people who used to punch me in the head in the hallway in high school because of my partially shaved head (it was the 80's), from co-workers that I never dealt with on a daily basis, and from people I had never even heard of. Then, I found myself sending requests to people I didn't really like, but because of close mutual ties, felt the need to just do it rather than say occasional hellos via someone else's FB page.

I didn't have a million friends - I really did try to keep it real. I had just under 200 friends before closing it down. However, in making an alter-ego page to keep in touch with those I really love and who will love me no matter how many times I write the word "shit" or "fuck," I found that there is a minor percentage of those 200 people that actively play a role in my life. Tres minor - like, an eighth of 200.

I don't know about y'all, but Facebook made me feel beholden to people I hadn't seen in years. I knew more about what was going on in the life of a friend from third grade than I did with my own Dad. I found myself telling my husband things like, "oh so and so posted this on Facebook today, it was so funny!" and when he asked "who?" I had to explain that it was someone I barely knew and would probably never communicate on a meaningful basis with and that he would never meet. I was sure to wish them a happy birthday though.

Facebook is creepy. Forget about World of Warcraft, Facebook is the truly addictive massively multi-player online game. Mafia Wars, Farmville, I-just-sent-you-a-secret-egg shiz...ugh. Oh and, I didn't even score girl in the Gilligan's Island quiz. I am the professor. It's better than scoring the Skipper though, I guess.

I'm looking forward to not checking Facebook for the latest cool video, sent by a former co-worker that I never even had lunch with. Maybe I'll have time to check out WOW or something, now.

How many of you have either dumped FB altogether or created a secret account where the bully in high school couldn't make penance with you so easily?

Cell Phones - where to go?

2010-07-28T07:10:57Z

In my last upgrade through Sprint, I chose a Blackberry Pearl. It was great at first - I always knew when I had email thanks to the never-ending blinkie, had gps etc. But, the bugger blew out and not in a good way. The ugly flip phone I had before at least didn't freaking lose all my numbers and info.

As an anti-ATT person, I refuse to get an iPhone until I can do it through another carrier. I thought about getting one and hacking it for Sprint, but realized that not only am I not that technologically talented, but it's just wrong. Not wrong in the traditional sense, but wrong in the corporate I got you sense. Screw Apple and ATT.

SO, I got an LG Lotus Elite, instead. While I thought there was no blinkie, there is a subtle one, letting me know that someone is contacting me via email. Part of me wants to be excited, but when I realize it's just the NYTimes thingie I signed up for ten years ago, it's not so exciting.

I love the interface and sexy look, but love/hate the instant email button - and especially the social button. Jeez...will I ever get unplugged?

Overall though, for a chica who digs technology but hates the blinkie, it's cool. The Lotus Elite is pretty, the blinkie isn't overwhelming, and I can still be online without sneaking off "for a smokie" just to check my FB. It hasn't crashed, so far, and it supposedly will talk to me through the GPS feature. Since I'll be driving home to Dallas tomorrow, I will give that feature a try.

Anyone else out there have the Lotus Elite? What do you think about it?

Motorized Shoes - can I get a glam version?

2010-07-06T12:21:29Z

When I first noticed the article about motorized shoes on Gizmodo, the first thought to pop into my head was, "are you kidding me?" The next thought was to wonder how this would fit into the national goal of getting kids (and adults) to be fit and exercise.

Then I saw the video and thought about how awesome it would be to have these things the next time I'm caught in a last-minute gate change at the airport. Instead of running from one terminal to the next, cursing the broken or crowded conveyor belt, I could go up to ten miles an hour without looking like I'm running from the cops. And, even though I'm known for berating people who drive around a parking lot for half an hour looking for a parking spot closest to the door of the mall, so they don't have to stress themselves with exercise before walking miles of mall space, the shoes might be fun just to freak those people out.

Would you use them?

Google goes Bing-alicious?

2010-06-10T18:56:53Z

I was surprised at Google's new background image options, when I logged in, this morning. They're offering some great ones from artists like Jeff Koons, Dale Chihuly, and Polly Apfulbaum (I chose one of hers). I wonder if the groovy logo incarnations that we've all grown to love will work even with a background image chosen? I mean, I love iGoogle but keep my homepage set to the main Google page just so I'll know if it's Marie Curie's birthday - anyone know?

On another note, have you read this article in the NYTimes Tech section? We all know that technology is becoming a necessity to life, but scientists are saying that it's actually affecting our mental acuity:

""The technology is rewiring our brains," said Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse and one of the world's leading brain scientists. She and other researchers compare the lure of digital stimulation less to that of drugs and alcohol than to food and sex, which are essential but counterproductive in excess."